Thrust bearing and mounting therefor



7, 1941. Q PEARSON 2,228,016

THRUST BEARING AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed Nov. 16, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l J) I/ 46 I2 w 45 a if 1 A 40 5 I9 Y 26 I 65 1.

3 \ii C 1M1: FRANK C. P/FAQSO N,

Jan. 7, 1941. F. c. PEARSON 2,223,016 IBRUST BEARING AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Filed Nov. 16, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1M7.- FRANK C. PEARSON,

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THRUST BEARING AND MOUNTING THEREFOR Application November 16, 1938, Serial No. 240,158 4 Claims. (Cl. 192-410) This invention relates to bearings and their mountings and particularly to an antifriction thrust bearing especially adapted. for the release mechanism of a motor vehicle clutch.

An object is to provide an improved, simply constructed thrust hearing, such as a clutch release bearing which eliminates the need of the slidable sleeve that is commonly employed to support bearings of this type. A further object is to provide a unit-handling thrust bearing arranged for slidable movement on its support for directly connecting operating members, such as the shifting fork and release fingers of a clutch.

To these ends and. also to improve generally upon devices of the character indicated, the in.- vention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a cross section taken through a clutch which embodies my invention and which illustrates the clutch in an engaged position;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross section generally similar to Figure 1, but showing the clutch in a disengaged position;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary end view of the clutch mechanism taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 4 is an enlarged diametrical section through the clutchvrelease bearing; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the bearing taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 4 and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Generally stated, a thrust bearing it), here illustrated in the form of a unit-handling clutch release bearing, has a cone race ring it axially slidable on a support, such as the hub l2, secured to the clutch housing It as by the bolts i4, and a row of spaced balls l5, guided by a suitable cage l6, roll on the cone raceway l1 and on the cup raceway l8 to rotatably support the bearing cup race ring it. A shifting fork 25, pivotally supported as by the ball socket 26 secured to the housing 13, has an inner bifurcated end 21 provided with the inwardly directed opposed studs 28 which are slidably socketed between the side walls 29 of the substantially diametrically opposed arcuate slots 30 cut through the walls of the cone' thrust bearing as a unit to move the cup 19 into and out of operative engagement with the clutch operating fingers, one of which is shown at 36, to disengage and engage the clutch. In the illustrated embodiment, an engine shaft 5 40, which extends into the housing It, has a fiywheel 4| secured to its rearward flanged end by the bolts 42, and a driven or output shaft 63, that extends through the hub l2, has a reduced forward end 45 supported by the antifriction pilot bearing 46 seated in the bore 41 in the rearward end of the engine shaft 50. An abutment plate 68, secured to the flywheel by the cap screws 50, carries a plurality of studs 52 spaced about the shaft 43, and each stud 52 supports a transverse pin 53 which pivotally supports one of the clutch operating fingers 86 for swinging movement towards and from the flywheel sl. Radially outwardly from each pin 52, each finger 36 is also pivoted by a pin 54 to an annular pressure plate 55 surrounding the shaft 43 and'provided with a clutch engaging face 58 opposed to a similar an nular clutch engaging face 51 on the flywheel 4!; A plurality of spaced coiled springs, one of which is shown at 60, are respectively compressed-be- 26 tween seats on the plates 48 and 55 to urge the plate 55 towards the flywheel 4| into a clutch engaging position, as shown in Figure 1, and

causing the fingers 36 to swing towards the bearing cup l9.

Spllned to slide in driving relation with the shaft 43 is the clutch hub 62 that rotatably supports the annular clutch disc 63 to which are so that a slight rotary cushioned movement may exist between the disc 63 and the shaft t3 when the facings 64 are initially clamped between the clutch driving faces 56 and 51, after which a positive driving relation will be maintained between the clutch disc 63 and the hub 62 through the compressed springs 65.

The cup [9 of the thrust bearing ill has an inwardly-extending wall 87 provided with an outwardly extending annular flange 68 which is transversely rounded and forms a reentrant substantially toroidal contour so that an axial movement of the thrust bearing it to the declutching position of Figure 2 will result in a smooth rocking movement of the substantially flat flnger faces 69 on the reentrant flange $8 with a minimum of friction. The slots 30 which receive the sliding pins 28 are preferably made by a rotary cutter of such diameter that the end walls 32 are substantially radial of the cone H for uniform abuttingengagement with the pins 28 to secure the cone II from rotation on the hub l2, it being understood, of course, that these slots are of suflicient length to allow for the necessary swinging movement of the shifting fork 25 when the bearingis axially moved from the clutching position of Figure 1 to the declutching position of Figure 2.

A lubricant chamber 10 in the bearing I0 is closed at its forward end by the flanged wall 61, which closely overhangs the forward end of the cone II in closely spaced surrounding relation to the hub l2, and is closed at its rearward end by a cup shaped shield II which has a laterally extending annular flange 12 surrounding the hub 42 in closely spaced relation. If desired, the flange 12 may be slightly tapered to provide a capillary seal with the hub l2 in the same manner as disclosed in the United States Patent Number 2,000,276 issued to Crow on May 7, 1935. Similarly, if desired, the wall 61 may also be slightly angulariy disposed to the forward end of the cone H and to the hub l2. The shield H is provided with .an annular wall 13 which fits closely over the cup l9 and the forward peripheral rim '14 of the wall 12 is bent inwardly into embraced relation with a stepped portion 15 of the cup l9 to secure the shield in position.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character indicated, an antifriction bearing, a pair of relatively rotatable race rings in said bearing, a substantially radially disposed annular wall on one of said rings, and a transversely curved reentrant annular flange laterally extending from said wall; substantially as described.

2. In an antifriction bearing, relatively rotatable inner and outer race rings, an annular flange on the outer ringextending beyond one end of the inner ring and terminating in a radial wall in closely spacedrelation tosaid end of the inner race ring, and a toroidally shaped portion on said flange extending beyond the sides of sai radial wall; substantially as described.

3. In an antifriction thrust bearing, coaxial inner and outer race rings, one end of the inner r'ing axially extending from the outer ring and having a pair of circumferentially aligned opposed slots cut therethrough, a radial wall on the outer ring overhanging the other end of the inner ring, and an annular flange laterally extending beyond said end wall and having a reentrant toroidal face; substantially as described.

4. In a clutch, a non-rotatable hub, a unithandiing antifriction bearing provided with inner and outer race rings, the inner race ring being rotatably and slidably mounted on the hub, one end of said inner ring axially extending beyond said outer ring and having circumferentially aligned diametrically opposed slots, an operating'lever slidably socketed in the slots for slidably positioning the bearing on the hub and for limiting rotation of said inner race ring, an annular flange having a reentrantly curved portion-enclosing the other end of said inner ring in closely spaced relation, and a clutch operating finger for rocking engagement withthe reentrantly curved portion; substantially as described.

. FRANK C. PEARSON. 

